Donation security

Check whether the organization you wish to donate to is recognized as a "non-profit". This means that the organization is committed to the common good as part of its work. This is checked by the relevant tax office. Non-profit organizations are tax-privileged and donations are tax-deductible.

Donation organizations often print this certificate together with the bank transfer form. The date of issue of the tax exemption certificate must not be more than five years in the past (three years for provisional certificates). The German Animal Welfare Federation and each of its member associations are recognized as charitable and particularly worthy of support.

Anyone who makes a donation wants to be sure that their money gets through. The German Animal Welfare Federation has been a founding member of the German Donations Council since 1993 and, as part of its membership, has committed itself to the transparent use of funds and compliance with ethical standards in fundraising. You can find our declaration of commitment here and our declaration on the principles of the Donations Council here.

On 30 May 2017, the German Animal Welfare Federation was one of the first member organizations to receive the German Donations Council's donation certificate. On June 1, 2023, we were again awarded the donation certificate with a validity of three years.

In addition, the German Animal Welfare Federation supports the Transparent Civil Society Initiative and thus undertakes to make ten precisely named, relevant pieces of information about the organization easily accessible to the general public in a specific format, as there are currently no uniform disclosure requirements for non-profit organizations in Germany. You can find these ten pieces of information here.

Check how the appeal for donations is designed. Is the advertisement factual and informative? An appeal that generates strong compassion, particular urgency or fear, for example through cruel or provocative images or strongly emotionalizing texts, are signs of dubious information.

Excessive urgency should make you suspicious. Reputable aid organizations have made provisions for emergencies and disasters and can provide immediate aid regardless of the amount of donations received. Here, donations are used to secure further measures and replenish disaster funds.

For years, door-to-door advertising as well as advertising in public places and streets has caused uncertainty and annoyance among the population. The advertisers are usually professionals who are remunerated depending on the number of contracts concluded ("push advertising"). Among other things, magazine subscriptions, insurance contracts or even sponsoring memberships for charitable organizations are advertised. According to the respective collection laws, the "costs of the collection must not be manifestly disproportionate to the net proceeds of the collection". We expressly distance ourselves from any form of fundraising and membership recruitment that uses the "shakedown method".

Again and again, dubious organizations try to recruit or poach members by phone call. Not infrequently, this is done by misleadingly naming organizations such as the German Animal Welfare Federation. We would therefore like to expressly point out that neither the German Animal Welfare Association nor its affiliated local animal welfare organizations use psychological pressure to solicit donations or memberships by telephone or at the front door. Although we also occasionally call our sponsors, these are exclusively people with whom we have regular contact. Furthermore, we strongly advise against giving bank details to unknown callers. If this has been done in error, we recommend that you immediately revoke the direct debit authorization with your bank.

Do not rush to sign a membership application on the street or at the front door. By signing the contract, you commit to paying a monthly sponsorship amount and sometimes also a processing fee. Such a contract can often only be terminated after two years. You should therefore ask about the notice periods or find out in advance about the notice periods specified in the statutes. If you have concluded a membership contract at the front door, on the telephone or at an information stand in front of or in a shopping center, this can be terminated within 14 days in accordance with the provisions of the Doorstep Selling Act. Send the notice of termination by registered letter/return receipt so that you can prove receipt of the notice of termination.

If you generally want to prevent receiving advertising mail in the future, we recommend that you register on the so-called Robinson list at the German Direct Marketing Association (DDV) at www.ddv-robinsonliste.de. There are also corresponding lists for e-mail, telephone (Robinson list of the I.D.I. Association) and fax (Robinson list of BITKOM).